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Robert Menzies: the art of politics
A revelatory biography of Australia’s longest-serving prime minister.
Robert Menzies claimed the prime ministership in 1939 and led the nation during the early years of the war, but resigned two years later when he lost the confidence of his party. His political career seemed over, and yet he staged one of the great comebacks to forge a new political party, devise a new governing philosophy, and craft a winning electoral approach that as to make him Australia’s longest-serving prime minister.
The lessons Menzies learned — and the way he applied them — made him a model that every Liberal leader since has looked to for inspiration. But debate over Menzies’ life and legacy has never settled.
Who was Robert Menzies, what did he stand for, what did he achieve? Troy Bramston has not only researched the official record and published accounts, but has also interviewed members of Menzies’ family, and his former advisers and ministers. He has also been given exclusive access to family letters, as well as to a series of interviews that Menzies gave that have never been revealed before. They are a major historical find, in which Menzies talks about his life, reflects on political events and personalities, offers political lessons, and candidly assesses his successors.
Robert Menzies is the first biography in 20 years of the Liberal icon — and it contains important contemporary lessons for those who want to understand, and master, the art and science of politics.
Robert Menzies claimed the prime ministership in 1939 and led the nation during the early years of the war, but resigned two years later when he lost the confidence of his party. His political career seemed over, and yet he staged one of the great comebacks to forge a new political party, devise a new governing philosophy, and craft a winning electoral approach that as to make him Australia’s longest-serving prime minister.
The lessons Menzies learned — and the way he applied them — made him a model that every Liberal leader since has looked to for inspiration. But debate over Menzies’ life and legacy has never settled.
Who was Robert Menzies, what did he stand for, what did he achieve? Troy Bramston has not only researched the official record and published accounts, but has also interviewed members of Menzies’ family, and his former advisers and ministers. He has also been given exclusive access to family letters, as well as to a series of interviews that Menzies gave that have never been revealed before. They are a major historical find, in which Menzies talks about his life, reflects on political events and personalities, offers political lessons, and candidly assesses his successors.
Robert Menzies is the first biography in 20 years of the Liberal icon — and it contains important contemporary lessons for those who want to understand, and master, the art and science of politics.
384 pages, Hardcover
Published April 16, 2019
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June 17, 2019Troy Bramston’s biography of Robert Menzies is a very welcome addition to the growing library on Australia’s longest-serving prime minister. As well as bringing new material into the public domain, he provides a most thoughtful and insightful appraisal of Menzies’ character and achievement.
John Nethercote, editor of Menzies: the shaping of modern Australia
If you read one book on Robert Menzies, make this the one. A refreshing look at Australia’s longest-serving PM. A surprising amount of new information for such a historical figure, and an enjoyable and compelling read to boot.
Peter van Onselen, professor of politics at UWA and Griffith universities, political editor for Network Ten, and contributing editor to The Australian
We were all young at the time, even Menzies: but Troy Bramston has caught the flavour of an era he was barely old enough to see. Above all he has registered how Menzies, for all his faults of pomp, circumstance and fervent monarchism, did so much to create the Australia that has since established itself as the envy of the world. After WWII it was Menzies who made sure that a new generation got its education for free. As his reward, the new generation vilified him for the rest of his life. But that’s Australia: a rough diamond that flays you if you hold it tight but lights the way ahead like torch. This is a thrilling book about a thrilling man. He had his faults, but his virtues are the bedrock of our inheritance.
Clive James
Troy Bramston’s book on Robert Menzies was a good read. It contains an interesting series of reflections on Menzies’ relations with other public figures, especially across the political divide. He writes clearly and well. This work is carefully researched.
John Howard
Using unpublished material, Troy Bramston has added significantly to the many known parts of Sir Robert Menzies showing him to be more complex, reflective and intriguing than the versions adopted by the worshippers and the denigrators.
Ian Hancock
Robert Menzies: The Art of Politics is always judicious and balanced, providing a multifaceted portrait of a key figure of Australian history. This is essential reading for students of politics and history, or anyone interested in the Liberal Party and its deep national influence.
Chris Saliba, Book+Publishing
Bramston puts more flesh on his political bones, bringing to life a colourful and controversial man who could be charming, engaging, pompous, and even “progressive’’ in his views … This book is not defined by mere anecdotes (however intriguing) but by an examination of the Australian political and cultural life that shaped Menzies, who was born before Federation in 1894 in the tiny Victorian town of Jeparit. There is a wealth of insights about the forces moulding the young Menzies.
Michael Madigan, Courier Mail
It is a handsome publication, with a cover photo of an avuncular Menzies early in his second prime ministership and gold lettering befitting his historical stature ... Menzies has always been controversial, a hero to some and a villain to others. Bramston steers a middle course, judging him to be more substantial than his critics allow and with more faults than his admirers admit.
Judith Brett, Sydney Morning Herald
Bramston’s success in Robert Menzies: The Art of Politics lies in his transcendence of “partisan ideology or mockery”. He offers not so much a conventional life portrait but, rather, a consideration of what Menzies called the “art of politics”. His interest is in how Menzies “practised politics” rather than the “enduring nature of his policies” ... His book is in some ways reflecting the contemporary yearning for a more substantial political leadership just as much as it is an attempt to get to the heart of what made Menzies tick.
James Curran, Weekend Australian
Bramston has constructed a portrait of the founder of the Liberal party that is at once carefully measured and insightfully nuanced.
Stephen Loosley, The Spectator
There have been at least half a dozen previous biographies of Robert Menzies, but Troy Bramston’s new life of Australia’s longest-serving prime minister is arguably the most attractive combination of research and readability ... This book details his remarkable career and is a very welcome addition to Australian political biography.
Michael Sexton, Australian Book Review
The Australian’s Troy Bramston writes political history with insight and style. His new book Robert Menzies: The art of politics is a shrewd analysis of a “Man of Canberra”.
Graham Erbacher, Weekend Australian
John Nethercote, editor of Menzies: the shaping of modern Australia
If you read one book on Robert Menzies, make this the one. A refreshing look at Australia’s longest-serving PM. A surprising amount of new information for such a historical figure, and an enjoyable and compelling read to boot.
Peter van Onselen, professor of politics at UWA and Griffith universities, political editor for Network Ten, and contributing editor to The Australian
We were all young at the time, even Menzies: but Troy Bramston has caught the flavour of an era he was barely old enough to see. Above all he has registered how Menzies, for all his faults of pomp, circumstance and fervent monarchism, did so much to create the Australia that has since established itself as the envy of the world. After WWII it was Menzies who made sure that a new generation got its education for free. As his reward, the new generation vilified him for the rest of his life. But that’s Australia: a rough diamond that flays you if you hold it tight but lights the way ahead like torch. This is a thrilling book about a thrilling man. He had his faults, but his virtues are the bedrock of our inheritance.
Clive James
Troy Bramston’s book on Robert Menzies was a good read. It contains an interesting series of reflections on Menzies’ relations with other public figures, especially across the political divide. He writes clearly and well. This work is carefully researched.
John Howard
Using unpublished material, Troy Bramston has added significantly to the many known parts of Sir Robert Menzies showing him to be more complex, reflective and intriguing than the versions adopted by the worshippers and the denigrators.
Ian Hancock
Robert Menzies: The Art of Politics is always judicious and balanced, providing a multifaceted portrait of a key figure of Australian history. This is essential reading for students of politics and history, or anyone interested in the Liberal Party and its deep national influence.
Chris Saliba, Book+Publishing
Bramston puts more flesh on his political bones, bringing to life a colourful and controversial man who could be charming, engaging, pompous, and even “progressive’’ in his views … This book is not defined by mere anecdotes (however intriguing) but by an examination of the Australian political and cultural life that shaped Menzies, who was born before Federation in 1894 in the tiny Victorian town of Jeparit. There is a wealth of insights about the forces moulding the young Menzies.
Michael Madigan, Courier Mail
It is a handsome publication, with a cover photo of an avuncular Menzies early in his second prime ministership and gold lettering befitting his historical stature ... Menzies has always been controversial, a hero to some and a villain to others. Bramston steers a middle course, judging him to be more substantial than his critics allow and with more faults than his admirers admit.
Judith Brett, Sydney Morning Herald
Bramston’s success in Robert Menzies: The Art of Politics lies in his transcendence of “partisan ideology or mockery”. He offers not so much a conventional life portrait but, rather, a consideration of what Menzies called the “art of politics”. His interest is in how Menzies “practised politics” rather than the “enduring nature of his policies” ... His book is in some ways reflecting the contemporary yearning for a more substantial political leadership just as much as it is an attempt to get to the heart of what made Menzies tick.
James Curran, Weekend Australian
Bramston has constructed a portrait of the founder of the Liberal party that is at once carefully measured and insightfully nuanced.
Stephen Loosley, The Spectator
There have been at least half a dozen previous biographies of Robert Menzies, but Troy Bramston’s new life of Australia’s longest-serving prime minister is arguably the most attractive combination of research and readability ... This book details his remarkable career and is a very welcome addition to Australian political biography.
Michael Sexton, Australian Book Review
The Australian’s Troy Bramston writes political history with insight and style. His new book Robert Menzies: The art of politics is a shrewd analysis of a “Man of Canberra”.
Graham Erbacher, Weekend Australian
July 17, 2022
The dichotomy of the Menzies era is that it lasted longer than any other in Australian politics (18 years as Prime Minister), yet was forgotten quicker than most. As Chavura and Melleuish have noted, just 6 years seperated Menzies and Whitlam's time as Prime Ministers. Yet modern Australian political language and forms of argument are almost entirely responses to the later, and seem untouched by the former.
In focusing on how Menzies operated, Bramston keys in on central reason why. Menzies had clear principles and purpose (which were liberal as he rightly stresses), but his time as a democratic leader was as much about his democratic temperament, as his willingness to use democratic power for particular policy ends. Menzies upheld and believed in the institutions of parliament and British forms of governance, and in his character in sustaining and championing a form of government - not always perfectly - he leaves his most important legacy.
A biography of a man who was Prime Minister for such a long period could easily get bogged down in the miniature of particular scandals or policy options. It's to Bramston's credit that he avoids this, offering a highly readable and fresh biography by focusing on the question of character and means of conducting politics, rather than just its content. Menzies is one of the great political performers of the Western world in the 20th century (much like Deakin a generation before), and this should be better understood and appreciated by Australians.
In my 20s I used to devour books like this. These days, my academic responsibilities lead me to far more detailed, niche (and poorly written) tomes. At times I found myself wishing the story had been told slightly differently, the conventional themes prodded open a bit more and that classic academic phrase coming to my lips - 'well, there's a bit more to it than that'. But I stopped myself, because an expansion here, a rounding out there, and the book would become the vast tome I am glad it was not. More than mere page count, Bramston's choice style is critically important because knowing about the country's political history should never be the preserve of just the scholars and book worms. In a democracy such knowledge must be the common currency of the common person. We need more books like this, and we need a nation of readers who want to know how their country operated before, so that they can help guide it through its own challenges today.
Not that the scholars miss out. There is a number of new and previously unpublished details, mainly stemming from interviews Menzies conducted with a would-be biographer after retirement. Bramston makes good use of these to round out the story. His comment's linking the F-111 to the worries about Indonesia in particular are important. While the book offers a generally conventional and supportive take on Menzies era, Bramston is careful to mark out the moral and political failings of Robert Menzies, especially in his embrace of the White Australia policy, disinterest in First Nation's people, failure on apartheid, and several international failings.
An enjoyable and insightful one-volume biography. It wisely avoids trying to capture everything, and instead manages to latch onto one very important theme: the art of politics, of which Menzies was the supreme master in 20th century Australia.
In focusing on how Menzies operated, Bramston keys in on central reason why. Menzies had clear principles and purpose (which were liberal as he rightly stresses), but his time as a democratic leader was as much about his democratic temperament, as his willingness to use democratic power for particular policy ends. Menzies upheld and believed in the institutions of parliament and British forms of governance, and in his character in sustaining and championing a form of government - not always perfectly - he leaves his most important legacy.
A biography of a man who was Prime Minister for such a long period could easily get bogged down in the miniature of particular scandals or policy options. It's to Bramston's credit that he avoids this, offering a highly readable and fresh biography by focusing on the question of character and means of conducting politics, rather than just its content. Menzies is one of the great political performers of the Western world in the 20th century (much like Deakin a generation before), and this should be better understood and appreciated by Australians.
In my 20s I used to devour books like this. These days, my academic responsibilities lead me to far more detailed, niche (and poorly written) tomes. At times I found myself wishing the story had been told slightly differently, the conventional themes prodded open a bit more and that classic academic phrase coming to my lips - 'well, there's a bit more to it than that'. But I stopped myself, because an expansion here, a rounding out there, and the book would become the vast tome I am glad it was not. More than mere page count, Bramston's choice style is critically important because knowing about the country's political history should never be the preserve of just the scholars and book worms. In a democracy such knowledge must be the common currency of the common person. We need more books like this, and we need a nation of readers who want to know how their country operated before, so that they can help guide it through its own challenges today.
Not that the scholars miss out. There is a number of new and previously unpublished details, mainly stemming from interviews Menzies conducted with a would-be biographer after retirement. Bramston makes good use of these to round out the story. His comment's linking the F-111 to the worries about Indonesia in particular are important. While the book offers a generally conventional and supportive take on Menzies era, Bramston is careful to mark out the moral and political failings of Robert Menzies, especially in his embrace of the White Australia policy, disinterest in First Nation's people, failure on apartheid, and several international failings.
An enjoyable and insightful one-volume biography. It wisely avoids trying to capture everything, and instead manages to latch onto one very important theme: the art of politics, of which Menzies was the supreme master in 20th century Australia.
December 23, 2023
This isn't the most in-depth biography ever written, but that probably wasn't its purpose. Troy Bramston sets out an argument for the merits of Menzies in the context of a current-day politics that is often too filled with personal insults rather than measured debate.
This is very readable in no small part due to the format of mentioning some particular topic or event in the life of Menzies and then going into further detail about it later, so that the reader is prepared and isn't caught off-guard.
Robert Menzies is one of the giants of Australian political history and this is a good read for anyone wanting to know more about him and what he stood for, advocated and achieved.
This is very readable in no small part due to the format of mentioning some particular topic or event in the life of Menzies and then going into further detail about it later, so that the reader is prepared and isn't caught off-guard.
Robert Menzies is one of the giants of Australian political history and this is a good read for anyone wanting to know more about him and what he stood for, advocated and achieved.
October 2, 2022
An excellent book from an excellent author. Best biography of Menzies yet. Makes full use of never seen before material including a 3 page document quoted in full which is an analysis by Menzies of the United Australia Party's disastrous election results in 1943. Anything by Troy Bramston is worth reading.
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This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2023
Incredible and for me without doubt Australia's greatest Prime Minister, even though this biography does highlight some of his flaws.
Is this biography biased? For sure, but which ones aren't? I learnt a lot about Australia's history from this book and have a much deeper understanding of the 1950s and 60s.
Is this biography biased? For sure, but which ones aren't? I learnt a lot about Australia's history from this book and have a much deeper understanding of the 1950s and 60s.
May 14, 2022
Absolutely fantastic. An unbiased overview of the life of my favourite politician throughout Australian history.
January 22, 2024
I found "Robert Menzies: The Art of Politics" by Troy Bramston to be a disappointing read. The narrative felt overly biased, lacking a nuanced exploration of Menzies' political career. The author's perspective seemed to overshadow a more objective analysis, making it challenging to grasp the full complexity of Menzies' contributions and shortcomings. The writing style was often dry, failing to bring vibrancy to a subject that deserves a more engaging treatment. Overall, I expected a more balanced and captivating portrayal of Menzies' political journey.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews